Conclusion
So what’s this year’s cable shootout taught us?
The primary takeaway is that the ideal cable is always the one that pairs best with your particular earphones – and that’s not always easy to predict!
Upgrading to a more expensive (and/or heavier) cable may improve your IEM’s technical performance but isn’t necessarily going to bend the sound in the exact direction you want.
In fact, if for instance your IEM feels too warm & muffled in the treble so you decide to pair it with a silver cable to accentuate the higher frequencies, you’ve still no guarantee that pairing will be successful – earphone / cable synergy can be extremely granular, and it’s only after trying a combination that you’ll know for sure if it ‘works’ or not.
So I encourage you to use these impressions merely as a guide, a potential roadmap to lead you towards cables worth auditioning – but only after trying them with your IEM will you know if the synergy is there.
I will say this – when you find that perfect IEM / cable match you’ll know it straight away, and all the time & money you spent searching will feel worth it. On the other hand if a cable you purchased doesn’t sound quite right with your favourite IEM it may still be worth keeping because there’s every chance it’ll sound brilliant with an earphone you purchase next month or next year.
That’s precisely why many of us collect cables in the first place – they’re a fun, useful way to tune & improve IEMs that little bit extra, and the more cables of different flavours you have in your arsenal the more options you’ll have to mould any future earphone you purchase closer to your preferences.
You can even begin building your own cables as I have, which opens up a whole new frontier of opportunity for experimentation and another way to connect with others in the hobby.
Thank you for reading, and I wish you all the best in your audio cable adventures to come!
Introduction
Cable 1 & 2 – EA Ares S 4 Wire & 8 Wire
Cable 3 – Effect Audio Cadmus 8 Wire
Cable 4 – Effect Audio Code 23
Cable 5 – ISN S8
Cable 6 – Liquid Links Martini
Cable 7 – Liquid Links Venom
Cable 8 – NiceHCK BlackSoul
Cable 9 – Penon CS819
Cable 10 – Penon Leo Plus
Cable 11 – Penon Obsidian
Cable 12 – Penon Vocal
Cable 13 – DIY Cardas Clear
Cable 14 – DIY Hakugei Gray Dragon
Cable 15 – DIY Hakugei Sky-Sea Voice
Talking Point – Cable Performance vs Ergonomics
Talking Point – Cable Value
Talking Point – Cable DIY
Cable Awards
Conclusion
Cable Manufacturer Links & Acknowledgements
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